From Amy
It went well thanks, our lovely girl is here and gorgeous! I found hypnobirthing really useful during labour. I started having small contractions at home but thought they were just Braxton Hicks as I’d had manyt times before, we practised hypnobirthing whilst I had them! I went off to sleep and woke up 20 minutes later and they suddenly went from 2/10 to 8/10 instantly! We pretty much went straight to the hospital and by the time we arrived and I had been assessed I was fully dilated… It was very quick and I’d been listening to the hypnobirthing tracks on the journey and saying my affirmations whilst I waited to be checked. I found the affirmations very reassuring and grounding – stopping my mind from racing off with anxiety about when my partner would be able to join me or focusing on the physical sensations.
I found the 3,2,1 and 10-1 countdown most useful and my husband said them to me during contractions – he was an awesome birth partner and they really kept me focused and calm. They had a big impact each time he did them, I gave him a tap when I was ready for him to start them, and another tap if I wanted to hear it again in the same contraction. The midwife said I was super chilled! I needed a kiwi cup to help deliver my little one in the end, but went with the guidance of all the professionals around me and just focused on pushing and getting to meet my little girl. One thing I’ve enjoyed is using some of the tracks and affirmations now she is here on longer nights, I feel they’ve still been helpful to me now.